Lava Escape -- what's the deal?

[Bluddy]

I just started lava escape missions and I have no idea how to beat them. Cool visual effects though.

Anybody got tips?

[tigersfan]

Don't EVER stop moving.

[x4000]

Generally speaking:

1. Run like heck, and don't even try to engage monsters.

2. Being able to quickly place platforms is your friend.  I'm not sure this is possible on most platforming difficulties without the keyboard and mouse combo.

3. You need to have enough of a lead on the lava that you can go down a few wrong turns, because those do exist.  The trick there is recognizing them when they happen and scooting back down fast or using storm dash if it's horizontal.  Every second counts, even when you think you have lots of time.

4. Greater teleport is another way around the dead end problem, although it comes with risks of its own; because of the mildly maze-like nature of the missions, if you teleport through a wall that seems to lead up but really leads just back down or is a different dead end, that's extra tricky.  So keep a general eye on the layout as you're making your way upwards if you're planning to teleport through walls.

Hope that helps!

[Bluddy]

OK beat it.

It's actually pretty easy with keyboard controls. The default placement of platforms (by just pressing the platform skill key) works well in this case. The most annoying thing is definitely the monsters. They get in my way and block me. But I get why they need to be there.

I'd really like there to be an audio cue that the lava is approaching. I know the screen goes red (and it's pretty darn cool) but I'm missing some audio cues of bubbling lava and stuff getting singed.  And the music (at least the music I had) was off -- nowhere near as much adrenaline in it as there should have been.

The other thing that's annoying is messing with storm dash. It's not a precise spell, especially when inside. One time you'll want to start but it won't. Another time you'll want to stop and turn but it'll stay on. It's mildly annoying when these things happen in a surface chunk, but in a time-sensitive mission it really increases frustration. You might want to take it away for this mission and give more running time.

One more thing. This mission is the kind that really should have 'close call' moments, as in the lava was all around you but you managed to recover somehow and win. The fact that the lava slows you down means that you don't really have those moments -- you either stay away from the lava or you die (or exit the mission if you have enough health). I think perhaps lava shouldn't slow you down as much. The amount of damage it does is punishment enough.

[TechSY730]

Another time you'll want to stop and turn but it'll stay on.

I can confirm this bug and reproduce it with mild ease (you have to let go of right and hit left on the same frame, or vice versa)
Surprised it isn't in mantis yet.

EDIT: Well, it is now

[keith.lamothe]

If you want precision control of when storm dash goes on and off, I suggest putting it on your ability bar and using the number key for it.  and potentially disabling the double-press approach to activating it (by setting the double-press milliseconds threshold to 1 or something like that).

[Nethellus]

I want to know if this mission is even possible AT ALL at the highest platforming difficulty. The lava rises and you die in half a second. There is hardly time to even activate storm dash and hope you get somewhere, which you wont.

If it is not possible, then what is the point? Max difficulty should not mean impossible, just very very hard.

The only way it seems possible to me is with a high mana character with high regeneration and teleport, and even then, its just luck, you have to hope you find places where you can see the next room above, and there is no time to avoid enemies or think about where you are going so they will probably kill you even on featherweight when you accidentally teleport into them, since all your upgrades are mana so that you can keep moving.

[TechSY730]

If it is not possible, then what is the point? Max difficulty should not mean impossible, just very very hard.

IMO, Max difficulty should mean the game is no longer holding back at all, but is still playing fair (aka, within the rules the game stated it set for itself).
Agreed that unless the difficulty explicitly states it might make things impossible, if it is proven to be impossible within gameplay tools provided normally, then yea, a change may need to be looked at.

[keith.lamothe]

I'm of the opinion that if you walk into a volcano on max difficulty, you should get what you asked for

(I'll leave the task of an actual serious response to someone who knows something about the balance of the lava escape missions, all I ever did was turn on the lava spout)

[Nethellus]

The thing is that nothing else in the game is that deadly. All you need to do on max platforming difficulty is place some more platforms. Until you enter a lava escape mission. Then you die.

The difference between this mission and the entirety of the rest of the game on max difficulty is galaxies wide. There is nothing that prepares you for that, and there is nothing that compares to it or even comes close. That is a problem, I think.

[x4000]

What do you mean, "you die?"  You lose, sure, but the lava is not remotely instantly fatal -- and starts receding as soon as it touches you.  Unless you get stuck in the middle of the lava in a long shaft floating down, you shouldn't remotely die.

In terms of whether it is possible on the highest platforming difficulty setting or not, I don't know.  I play on the difficulty one below the highest, and it is possible there.  In fact, I rarely lose at it there.  So I made the higher one even faster, for someone better at this stuff than me to still have a challenge.  If it's too much I certainly don't mind toning it down.

[Nethellus]

Okay, that may be a side effect of playing a 22 health character, I was assuming that the lava was more deadly than it really is, because it passes right through my shields and kills me quite fast unlike any other damage.

I've tried it out with healthier characters and you're right, it is not as deadly as I thought. It may even be quite possible to beat with teleport. So I think I was wrong.

[x4000]

Cheers, no worries.  Definitely a good time to swap in a different character build for these ones, at any rate!

[EtherealOne]

I play on the hardest platforming difficultly and my preferred characters are the dinosaur things and rarely have too much trouble with lava escape. I usually find that the 10-15s pretty much determine the outcome since if I can find way up before the lava reaches you a few triple jumps, lightning and teleports mean you build up enough of a buffer than it isn't really a problem anymore.

[7foot_sativa]

I could probably do it if I had access to my character on the server I usually go on(can't, the server is usually down now). All of my Lava Escapes usually end with 170m ahead of the lava in default difficulty.

A Math Magician would be able to work out if 170 average in normal is still fast enough to pass the hardest mode. Oh mighty Magician, grant us your wisdom!